Whedon’s quotation brings up an interesting point: the word faith has two meanings, and we should be
precise about which one we mean when we use it. Let’s take a closer look, and
see how well the term applies to theists and humanists.
In one sense, faith is belief. Faith means accepting as true
a claim for which the evidence is not conclusive. I personally believe that the
Earth orbits the sun, that Barack Obama is President of the United States, and
that I need oxygen to survive. These claims are not up for debate; the evidence
in their favor is conclusive, and so these particular beliefs do not constitute
faith.
I also believe that the 2008 New York Yankees were the
greatest baseball team of all time, that brains are awesome, and that OJ did
it. I believe that I will succeed in life. These claims are very much up for
debate; the evidence in their favor is inconclusive, and so these particular
beliefs might satisfy the criteria for faith. Rather, they would if I believed
them without doubt, or at least to an extent not justified by the available
evidence. As a pain-in-the-ass skeptic, I don’t.
In another sense, faith is practice. Faith means behaving as
if something were absolutely true because our humanity dictates we do so. Faith
is the way we make decisions that do not warrant a rational approach. For
example, I am intensely loyal to the people I love. If someone in my family, or
my girlfriend, were involved in a conflict, I would take their side without
hesitation. This is not rational: a strictly rational actor would weigh costs
and benefits, right and wrong. Concepts like “fairness” and “consequences”
would come into play.
So, which of these meanings applies to religious faith?
Would a theist lay down money that G-d exists? Or would she simply be inclined
to live her life according to a religious paradigm, epistemology
notwithstanding? I don’t have an answer to this question because I’m not a
theist.
I would however argue that only the second meaning applies
to humanism. As a humanist I have faith in humanity. I believe it’s important
to strive to improve the human condition, whether or not humanity deserves it;
on the latter point, I remain agnostic.
